Clio overheating - advice?

manic111

manic111

manic111

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Hi there, I've just been doing a heck of a lot of clutch control and reversing to try and fit my 2001 Clio Grande into a remarkably small space, and the engine was overheating pretty badly - the fan was running for a good 10 minutes after switching the engine off.

Is this a problem, or is it just me being a worryer? What do I need to check? If the engine coolant is low is it OK to top it up with water, or do I need to take it to a garage?
 
um with out being their,
its most likely a air blockage...
run the engine with the coolant lid of and gently undo the radiot bleed valve with a long flat head screw driver till just water with no bubbles comes out.
if tha tdosnt happen empty the system and refill and try again.
and if that dosnt work take to mechanic to check thermostat/ gauges..
 
iaind said:
+1

The radiator needs airflow over it to work effectively, so if youre not moving then the fan needs to run
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not completely true the fan works as a suction heat disperser, so unless hes reving the balls of it he shouldnt over heat on a reverse.
 
ScoobyDoo69 said:
Were you revving the nuts off it whilst doing this "clutch control" ?
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Nope, going pretty easy on it.

BigglesPiP said:
Fan running != overheating.

What did the temperature gauge say?
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Not sure what the temp gauge said - was just a bit worried as I hadn't heard the fan running that strongly after turning off the engine before.

I'll check the coolant tomorrow. If it does need topping up what do I need to do?
 
manic111 said:
Nope, going pretty easy on it.



Not sure what the temp gauge said - was just a bit worried as I hadn't heard the fan running that strongly after turning off the engine before.

I'll check the coolant tomorrow. If it does need topping up what do I need to do?
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get water> undo lid. fill to just below max marker. add some antifreaze/ sumer coolant>refit lid> profit
 
What engine? Its supprising how quickly they can heat-up, im not so clued up on the newer clios but the some of the old (MK1) Clios used to run the aux waterpump (always) + fan (temp dependant iirc) for around 8 mins after the car was switched off.
 
Couldn't tell you to be honest - it was about 8 minutes before it turned off though, so that could be the answer!

EDIT: Taken, I know that much :) Don't worry, I meant tomorrow morning before I take it to work!
 
manic111 said:
Awesome, cheers matey. I'll have a look tomorrow morning and give you a shout when the whole thing blows up :D
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shouldnt blow up, if its low top it up and keep a eye on it i.e check it again in the week, if its dropped signifcatly....:(:(
park the car on a dry patch of road, run the engine then leave it. come back later pref over night and you may see a puddle.

if you have a puddle, check all the pipes leading to and from the raidiator to the engine and fill pot/ water pump, for cracks or looseness. if their not check to see if theirs any water marks around your water pump, i.e clean or streaky oil. marks
if their is get a haynes manual , remove cover protecting cames, and get the waterpump serial number. DO NOT RELY ON ENGINE SIZE THE 1.6 ENGINE IN THE RENUALT MEGANE HAS £ SODDING DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATER PUMP.
buy water pump of ebay, mine cost me £30 much cheaper than renault.
buy blue gasket paste. and tip-ex. mark the points on ur cams for future referance incase u move them by accident. remove belt. remove dodgy water pump. clean area of old gasket. fit new pump with new gasket. fit timing belt, refill with water, run car and bleed radiator, check that car is running smoothly, re fit cam pulley protetor. spend 3 hours removing grime from fingernails
 
TaKeN said:
Sweet baby jesus.. what ever you do DO NOT remove the cap when the engine is hot.
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i said befor ethe engine is warm.....
it will not explode in your face for god sake...
if your doing it when hot remove with a blanket or towel..
only presurised systems have the tendancy to explode.

and last time i checked the clio wasnt a super tuned sports engined car.
 
Cheers for the help chaps, much appreciated - I'll check it out tomorrow morning (when cold) and leave a message to let you know if there's an issue! Thanks again :D
 
chumpit said:
i said befor ethe engine is warm.....
it will not explode in your face for god sake...
if your doing it when hot remove with a blanket or towel..
only presurised systems have the tendancy to explode.

and last time i checked the clio wasnt a super tuned sports engined car.
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I missed that bit :confused:

Surely all Rad systems are pressurised? , I was assuming that the OP knew nothing about mechanics.. if he average Joe removing a hot cap and getting a facefull of hiss and steam I'd rather warn him about it first :p
 
no problem matey, ive had issues with over heating with my mates renault megane, he got a mechanic to fit a new radiator, the muppet only used water. so come winter the whole water cooling system frozes :( was hilarious at the side of the rod with the coolant tank cap spewing out steam to keep use warm. as we wait for the hot water to finally melt the ice in the exfill pipe :D
 
TaKeN said:
I missed that bit :confused:

Surely all Rad systems are pressurised? , I was assuming that the OP knew nothing about mechanics.. if he average Joe removing a hot cap and getting a facefull of hiss and steam I'd rather warn him about it first :p
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well sorry if i was snappy... the pressure in a standered car isnt enoth to expolde in your face, maybe spurt out 2 miles above the head thats it. on race engines and superpsports theirs a big differance in pressure as the water has to do twice as much work.

so if ur cars over heating and you need to remove the cap fast to get rid of heat before it destroys your head gasket. use either a towel or a thick jumper to absorb the steam or water, and do a little turn at a time. if your in a super car turn of engine and let it cool down naturally..
i wasnt thinking tbh im just knackered form a day of dodgy diy.:eek:
 
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chumpit said:
well sorry if i was snappy... the pressure in a standered car isnt enoth to expolde in your face, maybe spurt out 2 miles above the head thats it. on race engines and superpsports theirs a big differance in pressure as the water has to do twice as much work.

so if ur cars over heating and you need to remove the cap fast to get rid of heat before it destroys your head gasket. use either a towel or a thick jumper to absorb the steam or water, and do a little turn at a time. if your in a super car turn of engine and let it cool down naturally..
i wasnt thinking tbh im just knackered form a day of dodgy diy.:eek:
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Ive seen my Dad get a faceful of boiling hot water from an Escort or something before when he opened the rad cap.
 
as said, if the coolant temperature is over 108deg-c when the ignition is turned off, the low speed fan should run for either a maximum of 12 minutes or until the coolant temperature is less that 100deg-c.

well, that's the principle for the Clio 172 anyway
 
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